Security is a global concern. A fundamental challenge of protecting critical infrastructure (for example, ports, air- ports) as well as critical resources (for example, fisheries,
wildlife) arises from limited availability of security resources.
Protecting all targets at all times is typically not realistic, and
as a result, 100 percent security is not possible. Instead, security resources must be deployed intelligently, an endeavor in
which artificial intelligence (AI) can play a major role.

n In recent years, AI-based applications have increasingly been used in
real-world domains. For example, game
theory–based decision aids have been
successfully deployed in various security settings to protect ports, airports, and
wildlife. This article describes our
unique problem-to-project educational
approach that used games rooted in
real-world issues to teach AI concepts to
diverse audiences. Specifically, our educational program began by presenting
real-world security issues, and progressively introduced complex AI concepts
using lectures, interactive exercises, and
ultimately hands-on games to promote
learning. We describe our experience in
applying this approach to several audiences, including students of an urban
public high school, university undergraduates, and security domain experts
who protect wildlife. We evaluated our
approach based on results from the
games and participant surveys.